Our Papa Smurf

The five-year-old is trained by Gary and Josh Moore at their yard in Lower Beeding, West Sussex, and the Moores are clearly in fine form right now — 99 winners sent out this season alone, which is a serious number. Our Papa Smurf is one small part of a very productive operation.

The horse got its first win at Goodwood back in June 2024, which is a beautiful track to open your account at — a swooping, undulating course on the South Downs that tends to produce memorable moments. More recently, Our Papa Smurf won at Plumpton in January 2026, and the form line across the last six races — 7-6-5-1-6-1 — shows a horse capable of looking ordinary one week and delivering the goods the next. Two wins from the last six races is the best spell of its career so far.

One pattern worth noting: when the ground gets slightly soft underfoot — not fully muddy, but with a bit of give — this horse has won 2 of 4 races, a 50% win rate that stands well above its overall average. That's not a coincidence. There's a horse here that genuinely likes conditions to be a touch forgiving. At longer distances of a mile and three-quarters or more, it has won 1 from 3, suggesting stamina is not a problem.

Regular jockey Rhys Clutterbuck has yet to find the winner's enclosure together with Our Papa Smurf across five rides, which is the one slightly awkward footnote in an otherwise encouraging picture. The horse raced just yesterday and remains active, so whatever comes next, it won't be a long wait.